With issue #41, Stan and Jack began a series of longer, multiple issue arcs. This one, the first of three-in-a-row, featured The Frightful Four. Frankly, there’d been quite a bit of this villain team in recent issues, so it wasn’t all that exciting–but it was interesting to see a similar story play out over three issues instead of one. Stan and Jack seemed to be experimenting with less compressed storytelling.
The character work was also very good–in fact, these long-form stories are much more about the people than the plot. Fantastic Four was selling extremely well, so they probably figured they had a loyal fanbase and could be assured future sales so they were free to expand the art form a bit.
We see the team bickering a lot. Poor Paste-Pot Pete can’t get his new name, Trapster, to “stick.” (Get it?)
Thing was cured then re-rockified so, last issue, he quit the team. In this vulnerable state, Wizard is able to brainwash him into joining the Frightful Four.
Once, Thing is hypnotized, he takes on the FF.
And of course, in the end, he returns to the team.
And it all ends, as always, on a family note.